All Grown Up(32)

“She left early.”

I grinned. “Nope, she’s still next door. Getting all settled in for the night.”

Val looked hurt, but I wanted her to be pissed. So I pushed. Her back leaned against the kitchen sink. I took a few more steps, so I stood right in front of her.

“Just came over to see if you know of any good, romantic restaurants that are open late in town.”

“No.” Her eyes shot daggers, and her voice was clipped. Clearly she wasn’t even going to entertain my question and think about it.

I moved yet closer, just inside her personal space. She had nowhere to retreat.

“How about nude beaches? Thought maybe we’d go to a nude beach tomorrow.”

Her eyes sparked. “No.”

She was definitely jealous, though she did her best not to show it. But where there’s a spark, there’s fire, so I kept adding gasoline.

“How about lingerie shops? Nina likes to shop. I hate it, so might as well make it something we can both enjoy.”

She squinted. “Maybe you should go back into the city for the weekend. Not too many shops like that in Montauk.”

I clicked my mouth and grinned. “Shame. How about sex toy shops? Maybe some edible underwear and body paint? Do you think that stains sheets?”

That did it. I actually saw the spark in her eyes shoot to a flame. “You know what, Ford? I really don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

I put one hand on either side of the counter behind her, boxing her in. “No? Why not, Val? What’s the reason you don’t want to hear about me having sex with another woman?”

“I just don’t. Do you want to hear about my sex life?”

My chest burned even hearing her say sex life. I started to get angry. “Fuck, no. But you know why I don’t want to hear about it?”

She stared at me, steam practically coming out of her nose.

“Not going to take a guess? Let me fill you the fuck in, then. I don’t want to hear about your sex life because I’m jealous. Because I want to be the one taking you out on a date and sleeping in your bed. And you feel the same goddamn way I do, but you’re too afraid to admit it.”

She raised her voice. “I am not!”

I leaned in so we were nose to nose. “Liar. Admit it.”

“No!”

“Say it.”

“You’re crazy!”

“You know what, Val? I’d rather be crazy than a chickenshit. It must suck to finally be free to live a little and be too uptight to act on what you’re feeling.”

She scowled at me. “Screw you.”

My mouth curved to a wicked grin. “Is that an invitation? Because I’m right here whenever you want me. And since I’m only twenty-five, I can pretty much fuck on demand. I doubt old man Mark has it in him to go all night.”

Valentina’s chest heaved; I could feel the heat emanating from her body. When I glanced down, I found her nipples protruding through her shirt. She was as turned on as I was, though she wouldn’t budge from hiding it beneath her anger.

“You’re such an asshole!” she screamed.

Fuck it. If I’m an asshole, I might as well be a giant one.

There was only one way to win this argument. I wrapped my hands around her cheeks and smashed my lips over her angry mouth. She hesitated for a half a second, but once the initial shock wore off, she opened for me and mewled into my mouth. Feeling her tits pushed up against my chest, I pressed her against the kitchen counter and tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

Whatever restraint she’d had left gave way, and all hell broke loose.

We couldn’t get close enough. Grabbing the backs of her thighs, I lifted and guided her legs around my waist. The erection that had started to thicken during our argument grew painfully hard, feeling the wet heat coming from between her legs.

Valentina moaned, and anything and everything ceased to exist but the two of us. She dug her nails into my back, and I tugged at her hair. I fucking knew it would be like this. A physical attraction makes for intense chemistry, but a physical and mental connection is damn combustible.

I don’t know how long we went at it, but eventually we had to come up for air, and the one-second break filled with panting was enough to allow Val to start to come to her senses. She shoved at my chest and reached to touch her swollen lips.

I caressed her face and murmured, “Thanks, Dad.”

“Dad?”

I leaned my forehead against hers. “He once told me that the best thing to do when you’re having an argument you can’t win with a woman you care about is to kiss her—then you both win.”

She smiled sadly. “You should probably go home, Ford.”

I traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “Nina is my cousin. She came to spend the weekend with my sister.”

Valentina’s eyes narrowed. “Your cousin?”

“You thought I had a woman over, even after chasing you for a month? I’m not the kind of guy to use another woman to replace the one I want but can’t have.”

She looked down. I put my fingers under her chin and lifted so our eyes met again. “Tell me, Val. Did it feel as good kissing Mark as it did kissing me?”

It might’ve been an arrogant statement, but I knew without a doubt that kissing anyone did not feel like what had just happened, and I was willing to bet the feeling was mutual.